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A new Netflix original comedy that focuses on --you guessed it-- friends from college. The series follows the lives of Ethan and Lisa Turner. Now entering their 40s, they move to New York City, which allows the old friend-group from college to reunite and see each other regularly.

Should you watch it?

As excited as I was for this series, unfortunately, I have to tell you: No, you shouldn’t watch Friends From College, unless you are actively trying to get disappointed. Despite the fact that it has a great cast that includes Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage, Cobie Smulders, and Billy Eichner, I found I had to force myself to watch all 8 episodes.

The trailers made the series look charming, funny, and it struck a chord for anyone who’s lost touch with good friends over the years. It didn’t help that visually, this series was filmed almost like a movie – evocative of grounded romantic-comedy films like This is 40 or Forgetting Sarah Marshall – which raises the expectation of its quality. Despite having that look and a relatable premise, I feel like Friends From College fell short on almost every level.

What Went Wrong?

The Marketing and Promotions Raised Expectations

If you watched the trailer, it certainly raised the expectation that you were getting a top-notch comedy series worthy of the Netflix brand, giving you hope that this is Netflix’s attempt to fill the void of classic TV sitcoms like Friends, Seinfeld, or How I Met Your Mother. The series was framed as funny and enjoyable, while managing to stay grounded by touching on serious issues among this group of friends. Unfortunately several of the jokes weren’t funny because the characters were too goofy, and none of those issues get solved since the characters barely manage to grow throughout the 8 episodes.

The Name Isn’t Completely Accurate

The name “Friends From College” is a bit of a misnomer. With that kind of title you expect the series to delve into each of the six friends’ lives, but the focus is only on half of them. The other three friends aren’t anything more than supporting characters, who are either too quirky or too boring.

The characters who usually have the spotlight are the married couple, Ethan and Lisa, (played by Key and Smulders) and Sam (Annie Parisee). Ethan and Lisa are trying to have a baby and turn to IVF, while Sam consistently fails to end her affair with Ethan which has been going on for over 20 years. Most of the episodes revolve around these two subjects, and despite a vague confrontation between Lisa and Sam, nothing gets resolved.

The friend-group also includes Max (Savage), Nick (Nat Paxon) and Marianne (Jae Suh Park). Max is part of the book publishing company that Ethan works with; Nick is a rich womanizer who is close with Lisa; and Marianne has allowed Ethan and Lisa to stay with her while they look for a house. Although we deal with Max’s relationship with his boyfriend Felix (Eichner) and Marianne’s acting career, their roles are strictly supportive of that of Sam, Lisa, and Ethan.

The Characters Were Too Much

The show is quick to establish how immature everyone in the friend-group is when they’re reunited for the first time. It’s understandable, of course. Despite how much a person grows up, old friends are quick to return to the social rhythm they once had and act like they did when they were younger. Unfortunately that doesn’t excuse how unfunny they are.

The characters were too quirky. Ethan had an annoying tendency to use a silly voice whenever he was uncomfortable, Sam constantly berated her therapist for pointing out the obvious, Max’s sudden cocaine use was out of place, and Marianne was just plain weird. Max’s boyfriend Felix was often used as the audience’s surrogate, often commenting on their group’s behavior but Felix himself was painfully socially awkward.

Was There Anything Good About It?

Absolutely. Only one episode really stood out for me, and it was Episode 4, “Mission Impossible.” It focused on Ethan and Lisa’s journey with IVF and goes into some peculiar and surprisingly entertaining hijinks. This episode in particular showed off the great chemistry between the married couple, while putting up with Marianne’s cast party, and accidentally ruining Max and Felix’s date, where they realize they’ve forgotten Max’s birthday. The way this episode was constructed gave me hope that this was a turning point in the series, but sadly that wasn’t the case.

Another notable episode was Episode 6: “Second Wedding,” which featured Seth Rogen, another old friend from college whom they run into at a wedding. Rogen played the “Party Dog” who had a romantic history with Sam in college, much to Ethan’s chagrin.

Final Thoughts

Season 3, Episodes 7 & 8: “The Unveiling” & “The Children of Wrath”

Ofelia’s whereabouts are finally revealed. Alicia follows Jake in his attempt to strike a deal with Walker. Nick joins the militia while Maddie discovers her place on the ranch.

The two-part mid-season finale left me excited for what happens next in the series. Not only did these two episodes establish a larger role for Ofelia, but it also showed off how far Maddie is willing to go to protect her children. -And it’s shocking just how far she’ll go. These episodes were action-packed and managed to maintain an intensity that fed your anticipation for a war.

Her Father’s Daughter

After not seeing her for the first six episodes of this season, I was beginning to fear that something tragic had happened to Ofelia Salazar; but it’s fitting that she ended up among Walker and the Nation/First Humans/Pony Warriors. Until Episode 7, the last time we saw Ofelia was in the second season finale, when she was cornered by a man we now know as Jeremiah Otto.

My fears over what Jeremiah could have done to Ofelia only worsened after his sudden apology to her, but it was later revealed that Jeremiah had simply left her to die in the desert over her skin color. This, of course, made Jeremiah’s eventual death much more acceptable. But is that enough to justify betraying Maddie and Nick the way she did?

Madison Clark: Explained

Maddie managed to convince Troy and the militia to raid the Nation twice; first, to rescue Alicia and a second time to secure leverage over Walker by stealing ancestral relics. As risky as this was, this wasn’t the extent of her willingness to protect her children and secure her new home.

The mid-season finale ended with Maddie giving Jeremiah’s severed head to Walker. The fact that Nick is the one who killed Jeremiah, doesn’t change the fact that Maddie was about to do it herself; and given the conversation she had with Alicia and Nick it comes as no surprise as to what she was about to do.

A scene that will go down as one of Fear the Walking Dead’s most memorable is that of Maddie admitting to her children that she killed her father as a young girl. She began the conversation by talking about her hometown, and told a story in the third-person about a popular councilman who was also a drunk who physically abused his wife. Tired of watching her mother endure such pain, Maddie took matters into her own hands, knowing that she would have to carry her decision and its consequences for the rest of her life – and she’s wiling to make that kind of decision again to protect her children.

This explains Maddie’s coldness. This explains her initial willingness to kill the dead at the beginning of the series when Travis wasn’t. This explains Maddie being drawn to Daniel Salazar’s dark wisdom, and this certainly explains her willingness to hand over the severed head of a man who was not unlike her father to achieve peace.

Victor Strand and the Cosmonaut

As luck would have it, Strand found the Abigail and managed to salvage a bottle of champagne. After getting drunk and passing out by a ham radio, it was clear Strand was feeling hopeless. After all, what reason does Strand have to continue on?

Strand awoke to a Russian Cosmonaut making contact through the radio. What followed was a circumstance completely unique to Fear the Walking Dead and a conversation that put things in perspective for Strand. He wasn’t stuck in space, running out of supplies, confined to the International Space Station; he still has a chance down on Earth. Burning what was left of the Abigail, Strand decided to move on.

Who knows what’s in store for Strand? Despite his scenes not having great significance to the plot of the finale, it was nice getting such a moment that strengthened his resolve.

What’s Next for Fear the Walking Dead?

The beauty in this mid-season finale lies in the fact that it didn’t end in a cliffhanger. Though there are many key elements that have yet to be resolved there was enough closure to leave me satisfied. But we still need to keep in mind:

What will happen when word gets out that Troy is responsible for killing the Trimbol family?

How will the community react when they’re expected to share their land with Walker and the Nation?

Who will lead the community now that Jeremiah is dead?

Will Jake and Troy really believe that their father killed himself?

So far, season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead has been fantastic. After 8 episodes, not a single one of them was a weak entry; proving that this series has hit its stride.

The show is taking a hiatus for the next few months, so we have plenty of time to discuss predictions for what’s coming next. What did you think of this mid-season finale?

Season 3, Episode 6: “Red Dirt”

Maddie and Troy return to the ranch and word gets out about a potential attack on the community. Jeremiah struggles to reassure the people about the ranch’s security while Jake makes a rash decision to solve their problems by himself.

Another episode that takes place almost entirely on the ranch but still manages to move the plot forward. The young Native-American man introduced in the previous episode goes by the name of Walker (no doubt named to allude to the threat of walkers). He and his people intend to take the land that the ranch occupies for themselves. It’s a classic tale of Native-Americans seeking to reclaim their land but with an apocalyptic twist.

Things made a rather interesting turn in this episode. With fear of an attack on the ranch, one of the founders of the community, and one of Jeremiah’s lifelong friends, decided to take his family and find refuge elsewhere. The day after the family departed, one of their horses returned to the ranch which indicated to Jeremiah that something went horribly wrong.

Jeremiah, Maddie, and Nick leave to investigate and find the family’s vehicle in the middle of the road, the family dead and turned, but with all their supplies still in place. The only member of the family that hadn’t turned was their son who was part of the militia, who was shot several times. All the evidence leaves Jeremiah and Nick to believe that Troy is responsible for their deaths but Maddie takes the opportunity to use the family as an example for the community in Troy’s favor.

Although I’ve had my concerns about this season of Fear the Walking Dead going stale, they’re doing a good job of keeping me engaged in the characters. All signs point to Troy for being maliciously responsible for the death of that family, but what if Troy is telling the truth? What if he didn’t kill them? Is there a third party our characters should be weary of?

Admittedly, the story surrounding Jake has gone stale despite his romance with Alicia, but what will come of his rash decision to negotiate with Walker? And what trouble does this spell for Alicia?

As interesting a character Nick is, it feels like he’s taken a backseat in the season thus far, especially now with Luciana out of the picture. It intrigues me that he wants to back Maddie’s push to have Troy become the new leader, but how far will he go?

With two episodes premiering next, I can’t wait to see what in store for the Fear Family.

Notes

It never occurred to me that Nick never used guns

Season 3, Episode 5: “Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame”

Maddie joins Troy in search of the group responsible for killing Travis. Nick and Jeremiah get to know each other while Alicia and Jake get acquainted in a different way. Strand and Daniel go to the hotel to search for Ofelia.

A lot of good things happened in this episode but it’s become more apparent that our characters are settling down. Only time will tell if this is a good for Fear, considering we’re used to watching everyone travel from place to place. As it stands, tensions are beginning to rise as it seems that the Clarks’ new home might be in danger. But most of the episode focused on life on the ranch.

Character Commentary

Maddie & Troy

Troy’s mission to find missing community members is the only part of the episode that added to the overall plot. On their excursion, Maddie was able to prove her combat abilities but they weren’t enough to defend against a rival group from revealing itself. We’ve yet to learn all the details but the rival group is lead by a young Native-American man claiming that the land that the ranch occupies belongs to him.

This sounds like something Jeremiah has been dealing with since before the apocalypse, but this is now Maddie’s fight since this group is responsible for killing Travis and they threaten her family’s new home.

Nick & Jeremiah

Nick struggles with deciding to either stay with his family or leave with Luciana. While trying to earn his keep, Nick bonds with Jeremiah as he reminisces about family, the ranch, and they have a discussion about the “beauty” of guns.

It was strange having such a normal conversation, but it also managed to reaffirm the idea that in this new world, it’s not necessarily “Us versus them [walkers],” but other people. By the end of the episode, Luciana sneaks away and leaves the ranch to go back to Mexico. Will Nick go after her?

Alicia & Jake

Aside from establishing a romance between these two, I feel like their interactions served the purpose of discussing the value of art in this new world, specifically poetry and Charles Bukowski (hence the title of the episode).

Strand & Salazar

Strand perpetuates his lie about Ofelia by taking Daniel back to the hotel. Their interactions are hostile but things escalate when they return to the hotel only to discover that it’s been overrun with walkers. Daniel deliberately gets the attention of a horde of walkers to finally get the truth out of Strand and decides to leave him for dead.

“Let’s see how you get out of this one!”

As resourceful as Strand is, can he fend for himself? Will Daniel return to the dam or continue to search for his daughter?

This episode certainly slowed things down and if I were to guess, this might be the trend for the next few episodes. Hopefully we get to see more action and fewer discussions about life, but who knows? Perhaps Fear can manage to make it more interesting than the regular Walking Dead series.

Season 3, Episode 4: “100″

Daniel Salazar lives! One of Fear the Walking Dead’s best characters returns as this episode retraces his steps after having survived the fire he started at Thomas Abigail’s compound last season.

After my disbelief of Travis’ death in the second episode of this season, I mistook Daniel Salazar’s appearance in the previous episode as Strand hallucinating in prison. Daniel Salazar is alive and well, and unsurprisingly, in a position of power among Dante’s organization.

This was easily one of Fear’s best episodes. It focused solely on Daniel and was primarily in Spanish. We watched a man whom we know to be capable in the apocalypse be vulnerable and in dire need of assistance.

I mentioned in a previous review that having Daniel Salazar around was too convenient for the other characters since he was so resourceful, and I accepted his apparent death since his character didn’t have much of a personal journey at the time. But with his return it seems we’re exploring a new element to him: penance.

Character Commentary

Daniel Salazar

Since he was introduced there was always a darkness to the humble, yet intimidating barber -- a mysterious past he was ashamed of, which he hid away from his daughter Ofelia. In season 1 we witnessed his proficiency with guns and defending himself and later we watched his ability to calmly interrogate a soldier. He had always possessed a dark wisdom that he would often share with Maddie and Travis, and in this episode we learn more about his dark past.

After finding out that Daniel was originally from El Salvador, Dante was able to pick up on his history in the Salvadorian Civil War as part of a death squad called “Sombra Negra” (Black Shadow). This certainly explains his skills, the guilt he possesses, and his composure as the world around him falls apart.

The episode is entitled “100″ which refers to the number of people Daniel Salazar has killed (though thanks to poor editing it only looks like he’s killed 99 people). This number now includes Dante, who was shaping up to be a major antagonist against Strand. What will happen to the dam now that Daniel seems to be in power? And what of Ofelia?

What excites me most about this season of Fear is that these characters are bound to reunite, but how? Daniel and Strand are still in Mexico while the Clarks are north of the border. Will Daniel believe Strand’s claim that Ofelia is still alive? And is she still alive? In any case, Fear the Walking Dead has been knocking it out of the park every week this season. Let’s enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Season 3, Episode 3: “Teotwawki”

Maddie learns more about Jeremiah’s family and ranch and how he managed to be so well equipped. Alicia gets to know the local youth who’ve yet to experience the new world while Troy and Nick go hunting together. Strand seeks out an old business associate and sees another familiar face.

This episode began with a peculiar television ad starring a young Jeremiah, selling his 4-part videotape series: “TEOTWAWKI” or “The End of the World as We Know It”. With the chaos that is (was) modern-day America, Jeremiah offered a video guide teaching subscribers how to:

Stockpile food, ammo, tools, medical supplies and barter goods

Recycle water, dig a well

Grow crops and raise livestock

And most importantly:

“How to defend your sovereignty against the urban hordes who will want what’s yours when those four hosemen ride.”

It seems this season of Fear the Walking Dead aims to depict life for the paranoid people who were right to prepare for the end of the world.

As interesting as this premise is, it raises concerns for the progression of this season, or the lack thereof. Last season focused heavily on travel and exploring different survival tactics of people the family met along the way. Between consistently finding new settings and getting to know different characters, things never really got stale. Until Nick stumbled into the colonia and Maddie found the hotel, we were always accustomed to having a change of scenery week-to-week. But perhaps this season seeks to slow down and focus on character interactions, now that the Clarks have reunited.

Character Commentary

Jeremiah Otto

After 7 seasons of The Walking Dead, Fear still manages to do a fantastic job at differentiating itself in unique ways; this time around by adding a character who was actually prepared for the world to end.

The TEOTWAWKI television ad set the tone for the episode, helping us understand why it feels like Jeremiah has a cult-following -- it’s because he does. Jeremiah is practically worshiped, he’s the community’s savior. But what’s refreshing about him is that he doesn’t seem to have a God-complex.

For now it seems that he and Maddie are implicitly at odds with one another. As entertaining as it would be to watch these two butt heads, an idea that interests me more is if these two are forced to work together against an outside antagonist.

Troy Otto

It was awfully suspicious for Troy to invite Nick hunting. Troy expressed to Maddie his distrust for her son earlier in the episode, so we were lead to assume the worst. Their interaction ultimately ended strangely amicably, leaving me to wonder what’s next for these two.

To me, it seems Troy’s stability is dependent on Jake and their father. In this episode Jake reminded Troy that it’s up to them to lead the community once Jeremiah eventually dies. Could this conversation be a sort of red herring? What happens to Troy if Jake were to die? His instability is a liability, but what happens when Troy joins forces with Nick?

Victor Strand

Strand’s resourcefulness brings him to the doorstep of Dante, an old business associate who controls a source of water in Mexico. Conscious of his conniving nature, Dante imprisons Strand in an effort to dull his lust for power. While confined, Strand begins to hallucinate and sees the ghost of Daniel Salazar.

I really don’t know what to expect of this outcome. The Walking Dead has yet to deal with this kind of psychosis -- and it’s especially intriguing since it has to do with Strand.

Victor Strand has always managed to have some sort of control over his situation, regardless of what’s thrown at him. What happens when he loses his mind?

Although this season is at risk of going stale, it’s given us enough to wonder about to keep us watching. The Ottos are a welcome addition to the cast, and it’s great to have a former cast member return, even if he is a hallucination.

Notes

Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2: “Eye of the Beholder” & “The New Frontier”

Season 3 brings Maddie, Travis, and Alicia back to the US as captives and reunites them with Nick and an ill Luciana. While Maddie and Alicia are treated and interviewed delicately by trained soldiers, Travis witnesses their experiments on other captives and does what he can to protect Nick.

After a lackluster season finale, Fear the Walking Dead makes up for it with its 2-part season premiere. That said, had we only been given one episode, I wouldn’t have been as satisfied, since the pacing of the first episode left much to be desired. But since we were given two episodes, with a clear direction of what this season will bring, it gets a pass.

In a lot of ways, the first episode is the season 2 finale we deserved. We left off last season with Nick and the people of the colonia being captured at the US-Mexican border and Maddie and company learning of Nick’s whereabouts. It was a poor ending to a great season.

The first episode began with Maddie, Travis, and Alicia, bound and captured, being brought to the compound where Nick and Luciana were taken. We were introduced to Troy and his band of trained soldiers. While he showed generosity and consideration for Maddie and Alicia, through Travis we learned that Troy and his men were killing captives and surveying the time it took to turn into walkers based on their ethnicity. It was a good episode but it didn’t give any indication of where the season was going aside from being reunited and back in the US.

By the end of the episode, we learn that Troy and his much friendlier brother, Jake, are working for their father, who’s set up a community at a ranch. A walker attack on the compound separates the family once more and they are forced to evacuate with the help of their captors. Travis, Alicia, and Luciana depart by helicopter, and Maddie and Nick among the convoy of trucks and humvees.

R.I.P. Travis Manawa

The second episode begins with what I hoped was a nightmare. The helicopter receives gunfire and Travis appears to be hit in the neck. As he goes into shock Travis opens the door and Alicia tries to stop him from jumping out but notices his gut and his exposed internal organs. The wound on his neck was the exit-wound. Alicia lets Travis fall.

On one hand, I’m sad to see such a strong character go but on the other hand Travis has gone through a full evolution. Between losing Liza and Chris, transforming from a pacifist at the beginning of the series to murdering two men with his bare hands, what was left for Travis to do? It’s better the actor leaves with a full character arc than with unresolved contributions.

Season 3′s Direction

Fear the Walking Dead’s strength is obviously in its characters but specifically the family dynamic between Maddie, her children, and Strand (and maybe Ofelia). It looks like this season the Clark family is up against the family dynamic of Troy and Jake Otto, and their father Jeremiah. With nowhere to go, Maddie decides that they should settle at the ranch, and tells her children:

“We’re going to stay here. We’re going to make it our home - even if we have to take it over.”

I’m interested to see these two families clash (again), since the new characters seem to mirror our favorite family.

The brothers are lead by their father Jeremiah, whom we first met last season, greeting Ofelia after she made it passed the border. As courteous and generous as he’s been to Maddie, we have to keep in mind that his clearly troubled son Troy was following his orders to experiment on the captives. And what did he do to Ofelia?

We’ve already seen how ruthless Troy can be when he decided to throw Travis in a pit of walkers. We’ve also seen him be as courteous as his father. Jake is aware of how troubled his brother is and believes he needs to control him, similar to Maddie and Alicia’s need to keep Nick in check.

Aside from the colonia, the Clarks have yet to stop in a place where they could envision starting a life, until now. They’ve traveled far and lost many, so I’m interested to see the family in a scenario where they’re finally settled into a place they want to call home. With the series now more focused on Maddie than ever, I’m excited to watch the Clarks’ eventual takeover of the Otto’s ranch.

Notes

I’m glad Strand was around to close-out the story of the hotel, and leave in style; I also can’t wait for him to reunite with Maddie and the kids

Season 2, Episode 22: “Lepers Repel”

Sandstorm’s endgame is revealed. With Kurt and the COGS safely hidden away, Shepherd intends to use a stealth glider launched from a satellite to collide with a nuclear stockpile in Washington, DC, thus eliminating the current heads of the United States Government.

Considering the quality and intensity of the penultimate episode, the Blindspot Season 2 finale was a disappointment. I really wanted to enjoy it, but there were elements that stopped me from doing so. Perhaps because a good portion of the action involved characters watching screens for long periods of time; whether it be for using drones to search for nuclear material, or using spacecrafts to intercept Sandstorm’s satellite. It was easy to lose tensity when we’re essentially watching characters stand around and wait. 

We were treated to brief moments of hand-to-hand combat and shoot-outs, but this finale felt like it was doing Blindspot a disservice. It almost seemed like stopping Shepherd and Sandstorm was easy. And it looks like going forward, the series is entering a soft reboot of the premise.

Disappointing finale aside, season 2 had significant changes for our favorite FBI team, and the new characters added to the fantastic dynamic that Blindspot is capable of.

Character Commentary

Jane Doe / Alice Kruger / Remi

This season gave us the answers we were pining for since the very beginning of the series. We learned how and why Jane came to be and we got better insight into who Remi was. But unfortunately there wasn’t much growth for Jane throughout the season. We watched as she acted as a double agent for the FBI and Sandstorm and play the role of concerned sister when she met Roman.

Jane’s gone through quite the emotional journey, but she only seemed to have one emotion throughout the entire season. She was constantly troubled. Even when she was dating someone, she always seemed stressed out. Perhaps that is just a symptom of the Tragedy of Alice Kruger. As the set up of the next season proves, Jane is fated to be a plot device, more than a character.

Kurt Weller

Kurt might have gone through the most eventful journey this season, and constantly had his character tested. Between taking on the role of Assistant Director of the NYO, his relationship with Nas Kamal, preparing to become a father, and learning his connection to Shepherd; Kurt has gone through a lot.

With the epilogue, revealing that he and Jane get married and break up sometime within the next two years, I hope the drama surrounding Kurt doesn’t only involve Jane.

Edgar Reade & Tasha Zapata

Reade and Zapata were having their own adventures this entire season but for some reason, it barely affected the main plot of the series. Although the beginning stressed about whether or not Reade was a victim of Coach Jones, the confirmation that he was didn’t seem that significant.

Zapata’s conniving nature continued throughout, and it seems safe to presume that she enters a career with the CIA after the events of the finale. With the characters seemingly parting ways after successfully taking down Shepherd and Sandstorm, how do they reunite?

Dr. Robert Borden / Nigel Thornton

Patterson’s tragic love life continues this season with the reveal of Dr. Borden as Sandstorm’s mole. I thought this was a great reveal. To have someone who’s been around since the very beginning, a traitor? Well played. But looking back, it felt like his character died too early. It felt like Parker filled in the role that Borden should have played towards the end, because it seemed like Borden was capable of so much more evil. As viewers, we deserved to have him face the other characters other than just Patterson.

Nas Kamal

Nas was a great addition to the team. Being part of the NSA automatically gave her character a conniving nature, but her relationship with Kurt and her efforts fighting along side the FBI redeemed whatever wrongs she committed. It’s a shame her character seemed to have an early exit, because other than he brief appearance in the finale, we deserved to see her do much more.

Shepherd / Ellen Briggs

Shepherd was a fantastic villain. Sandstorm’s Phase 2 was worth every bit of the hype and she was even willing to sacrifice herself at the end to complete her mission. What worries me about the next season is the new villain not being able to live up to the bar she set. Shepherd had a deep-seeded connection to both Kurt and Jane, and it’s hard to imagine a future antagonist having a comparable impact, but here’s hoping I get proven wrong.

Roman / Ian Kruger

Roman was another great addition to this series. Revealing that Jane has a brother who’s incredibly dangerous added a whole new dynamic to the show. It’s a shame that erasing his memory only resulted in it wearing off and returning to who he once was. I was excited for a whole new character to come about; scorned by a sister and mother he had forgotten; a new Roman, much like who Jane is compared to Remi. That said, I’m interested to see who he becomes in season 3, considering the way Jane referred to him in the finale’s epilogue.

Season 3 - New Tattoos?

It seems whoever engineered Jane’s tattoos and gathered the intel on various crimes is still out there, and is sending Jane a message 2 years after taking down Shepherd. Although I don’t look forward to a soft reboot of the series, with focus returning to a weekly tattoo adventure, it’s hard to imagine any other direction to go in.

Here’s hoping they can improve on the mistakes they made in season 1, and make the adventures more than just the Terrorist Threat of the Week.

Season 2, Episode 21: “Mom”

Roman returns to his cell at the FBI after learning the truth about his amnesia and attacking Jane. Parker finally gives up information on a Sandstorm facility, while FBI Director Pellington decides to go public with Sandstorm and Shepherd. Reade announces his transfer but rejoins the team when Sandstorm begins Phase 2: Invading the FBI New York Office.

Blindspot’s penultimate episode for its second season was a great reminder of how intense the series can be. This was an action-packed episode that managed its dramatic elements extremely well; not just for our main cast, but for the supporting roles as well.

In exchange for protecting an apparently pregnant Devon, Parker gives Kurt the location of a server warehouse that stores all of Sandstorm’s intel. When Jane and Kurt arrive with a tactical unit, they’re shocked to learn that inside the warehouse was an exact replica of the FBI’s New York Office--a training ground to prepare an attack.

With Parker captured by the FBI, Shepherd decided to accelerate Sandstorm’s plan of attack. Since communications were down, Kurt wasn’t able to warn the NYO that Sandstorm was invading. This immediately put Shepherd face-to-face with Director Pellington, while the forces of the FBI and Sandstorm pointed their guns at each other in the familiar office space. This showdown was easily my favorite part of the episode.

Up until now we’ve only seen Director Pellington as an authority figure, breathing down Kurt’s back, but in this episode we watched a hero fall. He did not waver in the face of terrorism, and whole-heartedly believed that everyone in that room would uphold the values and duties of the FBI. Patterson managed to lock down the room they were in, but Shepherd was killing employees one by one to bargain for their escape. Unfortunately, Kurt’s administrative assistant couldn’t stomach the death of her colleagues and gave Shepherd access, rendering Director Pellington useless.

Although we had elements of drama between Jane and Kurt (as usual) and Reade and Zapata (what else is new?), an interaction we were treated to was the reunion of Shepherd and Roman. Earlier in the episode they established that Roman’s amnesia could be wearing off, since he received fewer doses of ZIP than Jane (why is this only being shared now?).

Upon seeing his mother again, Roman flashbacked to being forced into killing Jane, and when refusing, Shepherd trying to kill him. His memories seem to be returning to him at a faster rate, which might explain why he rejoined Shepherd instead of staying at his cell at the FBI and remaining loyal to Jane.

I was hoping that Roman would have changed after everything that had happened since his memory was erased, but instead he’s reverting back to who he once was. Why is it only now that they’re establishing that his amnesia can wear off, since they spent so much time stressing about him becoming a different person? 

Thanks to Borden, Sandstorm was able to help create a plan to invade the FBI NYO and create a means of escape. But it seems Sandstorm’s plan was more extensive than initially thought. Patterson discovered that this was a coordinated attack, with six other federal buildings being invaded simultaneously. Although the NYO remained intact, Sandstorm was able to destroy two other federal buildings.

The Truman Protocol

An initiative to house and protect deputies across all federal agencies in the face of a devastating attack that would eliminate the current federal leaders. With Sandstorm’s attack, COGS (Continuity of Government Subcommittee) decided that if another attack occurred, all the gathered deputies would succeed the current United States Government.

With such high-ranking leadership gathered in one place, Kurt realizes provoking this protocol was all part of Sandstorm’s plan.

Season 2, Episode 20: “In Words, Drown I”

An undercover operation has Zapata breaking out of prison with an inmate with ties to Sandstorm. Patterson’s paranoia is affecting her work, and Kurt finds out that Roman killed Emma Shaw.

A good episode since it was set up well. The previous episode left us with a helluva misdirect when it ended with Zapata’s sudden arrest. We were left to assume it had something to do with her misguided attempt to protect Reade, but as it turns out, this was part of the team’s plan to get more intel on Sandstorm.

Of course, the writers didn’t give us this information right away. The episode began with Zapata being registered into the prison’s system and walking into the cell blocks for the first time. We watched worriedly as Zapata got into fights, defending a woman named Devon (played by Ronda Rousey).

The team’s plan was for Zapata to get close to Devon, who was arrested for illegally transporting weapons (for Sandstorm). Not only that, but it turns out her boyfriend is a familiar face--Parker, a member of Sandstorm who’s appeared throughout the season.

After breaking out of prison, it was pretty naive for Zapata to assume that Parker wouldn’t recognize her when she and Devon met up with him. All this leads to a shoot out where the FBI manages to successfully capture Devon and Parker.

The Truth Comes Out

With some encouragement from Roman, Jane decides to be honest with Kurt and tell him that Roman is responsible for the death of Emma Shaw. Surprisingly the fallout only included Kurt taking back his dinner invite and a tense moment between Kurt and Roman. Needless to say but Kurt feels betrayed and has seemingly dealt with his anger; but you can’t say the same for Roman.

While Jane was helping him put on a bandage, Roman had a sudden flashback of Jane injecting him, thus erasing his memory. The episodes ends with Roman trying to attack his sister with a knife.

It’s been a long time coming but the consequences of Jane lying to Roman at the very beginning of this season are finally upon us. Has Jane inadvertently created someone more dangerous than who her brother used to be? There are only a few episodes left of the season and they’re sure to set the stage for season 3 of Blindspot.

Notes

Season 2, Episode 19: “Regard a Mere Mad Rager”

One of Jane’s tattoos uncovers a lead to “The Truman Protocol,” which was referenced by Shepherd’s mentor. Kurt and Jane go undercover, competing to obtain classified documents from hackers, while Reade attempts to get back into the FBI. In Bangkok, Shepherd’s preparations for Phase 2 are disrupted.

A quiet episode for our favorite FBI team. Although most of their obstacles revolved around hacking and solving puzzles, the adventures centered on Jane and Kurt instead of Patterson. It managed to be an episode where Kurt and Jane didn’t have to rely on guns. Their biggest challenge: an escape room, where they had to admit some truths to each other.

The episode opened where it left off from the previous one: with Shepherd in Bangkok, securing dangerous chemicals for Phase 2. I expected an episode following the villain in her element, exercising her power, but instead we received an excellent B-plot, showing off how cunning Shepherd can be in a disadvantaged situation.

I would have liked an episode that solely focused on Shepherd, but given that the main story wasn’t too over-the-top, her adventure was a perfectly good fit. Although we haven’t been given enough to believe in her crusade, we got to watch her in action and witness her ferocity.

Reade is on a road to redemption to return to the FBI, but Dr. Karen Sun suggests that it might not be the right decision. Although things are beginning to look up for him, Zapata’s attempt to steal evidence for him finally reaches its consequences.

The evolution of Reade and Zapata’s adventures this season has taken a drastic turn. We were lead to believe that Reade might not be part of the team, but it seems Zapata’s career is in jeopardy. Can the team survive another loss?

Season 2, Episode 18: “Senile Lines”

Matthew Weitz returns and leads the depositions for Kurt Weller and his team, accusing them of aiding and abetting Sandstorm’s terrorism. Meanwhile a tattoo-case has the FBI looking into a non-profit organization with mysterious ties to foster homes. With help from Roman, the FBI goes in search for missing foster children after one of the children is found dead. Reade faces his demons.

I didn’t much care for this episode as it began, but that changed as soon as the mystery behind this tattoo adventure became clear. The reason why Jane’s tattoo alluded to a non-profit organization was because it used foster children to test experimental drugs, which lead to the death of a child living in one of their foster homes.

It would have been easy to brush off this tattoo-case, since as a fan, you would likely want to focus more on the investigation against Kurt and the team. But once again, Blindspot shows off how it can handle serious cases that involves crime against children; I’m referring, of course, to the Coach Jones case, which sparked Reade’s troubles this season.

I also have to commend this episode for managing to properly weave in a role for Roman. Though it is terribly unrealistic to have a known terrorist under house arrest, in the custody of an FBI associate(?), having Roman on this particular case and using his empathy for orphaned children was clearly an asset. Although he could never gain the level of trust the FBI has for Jane, it’s good that they’re giving Roman more to do.

Character Commentary 

Edgar Reade

After hitting rock-bottom in the previous episode, Reade wakes up in a hospital room he shares with an army veteran named Travis, played by Garrett Dillahunt. Their interaction was cliché as you could get, as Reade initially refused to open up, but it was nice to watch him finally get over his stubbornness.

Reade has been spiraling for most of this season and it now looks like he’s on the road to recovery--which begs the question: What’s on the tape? Is Blindspot willing to go that dark and reveal that he was indeed molested as a child? Looks like we’ll have to wait for our answer in the next episode.

Nas Kamal

The depositions were well constructed and made a lot of good points that could incriminate Kurt Weller and his team. This made it all the more admirable for Nas to take the blame for the FBI’s missteps in their crusade to take down Sandstorm.

It’s unclear whether or not this is the last we’ll see of Nas in the near future, but she was a great addition to the team and an interesting character. Her evolving role in the season was great watch; starting as a mysterious, conniving new member, to Kurt’s new love-interest, and eventually a trusted friend. It’ll be hard to let go of this character but perhaps the team dynamic will tap into something we might be missing from Season 1, with Reade’s eventual return.

FOX’s Prison Break has been resurrected and picks up 7 years after the original story. After receiving word that his brother Michael Scofield is still alive, Lincoln Burrows sets out to find him. When Lincoln finally discovers his whereabouts, he is shocked to learn that Michael has been imprisoned in a Middle Eastern prison as a war criminal.

The surviving members of the Fox River 8 are back! But the question is:

Should You Watch It?

If you have never seen an episode of Prison Break before, you should not watch the new season. Even though it’s been 7 years since its supposed finale, this is not a new show trying to appeal to new audiences --this is Season 5 of Prison Break.

Now, if you managed to watch the entirety of the series all those years ago, or even if you only stuck around for a couple of seasons, you should totally give the new season a shot. Seeing these characters interact again makes it feel like not that much time has passed, and the fact that these actors have aged wonderfully only contributes to the familiarity and nostalgia.

To add to the nostalgia-factor, the new premise feels like classic Prison Break, especially considering that Michael has once again been put in prison. And no season of Prison Break is complete without its big mystery, which obviously revolves around how and why Michael Scofield is still alive.

Where Are They Now?

Theodore Bagwell AKA T-Bag

Following the cryptic opening with a voice-over from Michael, the first character we reunite with is T-Bag, who is just as “charming” as ever. He’s the first to be tipped off about Michael’s whereabouts, all while receiving a gift from a mysterious benefactor, who funds an experimental procedure that gives him a fully functioning prosthetic hand. Is this mysterious benefactor tied to Michael? Probably.

Lincoln Burrows

Without Michael acting as his moral compass, Linc lives in Chicago and has returned to a life of petty thievery. When he receives the news from T-Bag, Lincoln visits Sara and tells her that the father of her child may still be alive. When an attempt on his life confirms his suspicions, Lincoln sets out to find his brother.

Sara Tancredi-Scofield

Since Michael’s death, Sara has remarried and lives in Ithaca, New York with her husband Jacob and her son, Mike. Since learning the news about Michael, her life as well as her loved ones are threatened by an assassin who fled before police arrived.

Though she gets a lot of screen time, Sara’s role in the season has yet to be established after 2 episodes. Michael, genius that he is, manages to get word to her that she should go into hiding to protect their son.

Benjamin Miles Franklin AKA C-Note

After learning Michael’s whereabouts, Lincoln seeks out an old ally who happens to be part of an organization that helps the peace efforts in the Middle East. Enter C-Note, who has converted to Islam and speaks a little Arabic. Although his character is now a plot device, it’s still nice seeing him and having him around, assisting Lincoln on his crusade.

Fernando Sucre

Sucre has very little screen time but his introduction to the season was a memorable one. With only 2 scenes, you’re reminded of his loyalty to Michael and we’re left to believe that he’ll play an important role later on.

Michael Scofield

Aside from what I’ve mentioned, there isn’t much more to say about Michael. Lincoln is very much the main character now but in the second episode we get a glimpse of Michael’s life and his efforts to escape another prison. New allies and new tattoos leave us with more questions than answers.

Final Thoughts

I like it. When I heard that Prison Break was coming back after 8 years, I, like many other fans, was skeptical. In this age of reboots and “requels,” I saw this as a cash-grab for FOX to appeal to old and new viewers. But after seeing the first two episodes I welcome Prison Break’s return.

This new season of Prison Break only caters to returning fans and isn’t at all friendly to new viewers. Despite the 8-year gap, you really have to know these characters to appreciate this new entry.

One thing I realized after watching the first episode was that I missed these characters. I had forgotten about Michael’s brilliance and Lincoln’s and Sara’s dedication to him. I was pleasantly reminded of Prison Break’s ability to set up a mystery and leave you intrigued.

Season 2, Episode 17: “Solos”

Jane and Oliver are kidnapped. The FBI scrambles to find their whereabouts until a ransom video is posted online of Oliver demanding that his estranged father give up $200M in exchange for their lives. Reade quits after being confronted by Kurt about his personal dilemmas and Patterson deals with Borden’s death.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking that Sandstorm kidnapped Jane once again, but that wasn’t the case. It seems Oliver has a dark past with a dysfunctional parent as well. In his attempt to escape his past, Oliver changed his name and tried to make up for his father’s crimes by setting up charities.

Although it sidetracked the series’ main plot, it was a good episode. We got to watch Jane kick ass and watch her take control of a situation where she had a severe disadvantage.

The Major Takeaways from the Episode?

Oliver breaks up with Jane

The FBI decided to give custody of Roman to Jane--house arrest. I’m sure that will work out fine

Patterson is refusing therapy sessions with Dr. Karen Sun but is now extremely paranoid about her apartment being bugged since Borden has been there several times

Reade has hit rock-bottom

The entire team has been served with subpoenas. They’re being investigated for aiding and abetting a terrorist organization

If this is Sandstorm’s doing, that would be pretty ingenious; incriminating the team responsible for hunting you down is pretty clever. Hopefully however this happened has a satisfying scheme behind it.

Season 2, Episode 16: “Evil Did I Dwell, Lewd I Did Live”

Nas survives the attempt on her life and, with Patterson’s help, manages to decrypt the USB drive provided by her former Sandstorm informant. For the first time, Nas’ informant wants money in exchange for information, which left him vulnerable to a sting operation. The ambush was successful and Nas’ informant was revealed to be Cade. Cade reluctantly agrees to help the FBI in exchange for his money and freedom, which brings them one step closer to crippling Shepherd and her operation.

The plot made leaps and bounds in this episode, which was a much needed improvement since the previous one was so disappointing. No drawn-out tattoo adventure this week and the B-plot between Reade and Zapata actually managed to keep me interested.

Another Mole?

Cade leverages his information and actually gets the FBI to agree to giving him millions of dollars in unmarked bills and his freedom. Unfortunately when Kurt, Jane and company act on his intel, Shepherd appeared to be one step ahead and managed to allude the team once again. But how?

Patterson caught onto her head trauma not being a symptom of PTSD but rather a side effect of Sandstorm’s scheming. She realizes that while kidnapped and unconscious, Borden and Shepherd managed to plant a tiny bug in one of her teeth.

The idea is a bit of a stretch, but it shows off how far Shepherd is willing to go for her cause. If there was a team member you would want to keep tabs on, it would definitely be Patterson, if not FBI Assistant Director Weller. Patterson informs everyone and the team sets up a trap with Cade’s assistance.

Patterson VS Borden

Using the bug to their advantage, the trap the FBI sets successfully corners 4 Sandstorm agents, but one of them manages to kill the other 3 then himself. Of course, Borden suspects the trap and tries to escape until he comes face-to-face with Patterson.

Much like his subordinates, Borden was trained to take his own life rather than being captured and he does so with a grenade.

-What does this mean for Patterson? Is this closure for her? Or does her refusal to receive anesthetic during her tooth extraction tell us something else?

Cade

With Cade’s return we find out a great deal more about him. For instance, Cade and Markos were lovers, and the reason why Cade tried to kill Jane was because he wanted revenge against Oscar. Cade seemed more cooperative knowing that Jane was the one who killed Oscar (and I’m sure the money and freedom incentive helped too).

We didn’t find out anything more about Sandstorm, but we did get some more insight on Remy and Roman’s relationship. Roman was on Remy’s leash. As a foot soldier, Cade didn’t know much about Sandstorm’s grand plan. Remy wasn’t happy with Roman when he almost shared details about the mysterious Phase 2 with Cade, and Cade wasn’t afraid of calling Roman out on his obedience.

It would have been nice for Cade to join in on the FBI’s crusade to stop Shepherd, but unfortunately, Blindspot can’t have guests for the more than a couple of episodes (unless they’re Rich Dotcom).

Random Drug Screening

Zapata is finally part of Reade’s adventure with cocaine. When the two are chosen randomly for the FBI’s drug screening, Reade tells his best friend about his new habit.

Although Reade tested negative, his story takes an interesting turn when Zapata visits Kurt at home, when Reade refused to tell him. Will Kurt react like Reade’s boss or reach out like his friend?

Season 2, Episode 15: “Draw O Caesar, Erase a Coward”

Blindspot seems to be continuing the trend of needlessly complicated tattoo adventures. A tip from Rich Dotcom helps Patterson connect one of Jane’s tattoos to a holistic spa, a man incarcerated for manslaughter, and “the FedEx of the underworld.” With FBI Director Pellington breathing down Kurt’s back, he’s allowing Roman into the field in hopes of triggering more of his memories. As the team splits up to connect the dots, Nas is contacted by a former informant.

Aside from Nas getting attacked at the very end, this was a pretty forgettable episode. There were elements of nonlinear story telling but it didn’t add anything significant to the narrative. This entry goes down in Blindspot history as a filler episode.

The Major takeaways from the episode?

Kurt still doesn’t know that Roman killed Emma Shaw

Jane’s boyfriend broke up with her after being confronted about his name change

Patterson catches onto Reade’s addiction and he responds with hostility

Hopefully next week’s episode will be more plot-driven. Nas’ attack should lead to more interesting places.

Notes

FX’s Legion gives us a glimpse into David Haller’s psyche. Between the hallucinations and the voices in his head, David grew up being told he was just a paranoid schizophrenic. In reality David is an incredibly dangerous mutant, who struggles to control his powers and stay safe from the people who seek to take advantage of his abilities.

This isn’t your usual comic book-adaptation. In fact, I went into this series knowing very little about it and kept doubting whether or not this show was really based on a comic book, let alone set in the same world as the X-Men. With that kind of premise, it’s easy for one to expect your typical underdog tale where they must rise up from oppression to defeat evil, but as you watch the first episode, you have no idea where it’s all going.

Knowing nothing about Legion, you wouldn’t suspect that this was set in a world of mutants with superhuman abilities. None of that is in the forefront of this show, and that is one of many elements that makes Legion so engaging.

Not Your Average Pilot

Where typical pilots do their best to cram in as much information possible to sell itself to networks and viewers, Legion takes it slow. You’re introduced to David with a montage of him growing up, set to soothing music. From infancy to adolescence and into adulthood, you watch as a normal, wholesome childhood evolves into teen delinquency and chaos. The montage ends as David prepares to hang himself with an extension cord, but is interrupted with a transition to a visit from his sister, while he is a patient at Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital.

From there you begin to lose your grasp on what the show is about and where it’s going. David is constantly tormented by loud whispers, unpleasant memories, and a being that haunts him, whom he refers to as “the devil with the yellow eyes.” Between the flashbacks, the show also takes a nonlinear approach to storytelling, which can confuse you--but it’s the good kind of confusion, the kind that keeps you intrigued and glued to the screen.

Legion is one of the most visually stunning shows on television

Legion does its best to give viewers a glimpse into David’s psychosis with the use of colorful lighting and playful photography work, paired with a unique soundtrack. There is little-to-no consistency between each setting. Much like the story, the variations of camera work and lighting gets you to wonder what crazy thing you’ll see next. If for nothing else, you should watch Legion for the sake of watching its visually stimulating first chapter.

Beyond the First Chapter

A television series’ second episode is usually indicative of how the show will progress. It’s no surprise that the second episode would tone things down, but the glimpse into David’s mind is taken into a more literal sense. Curious about what I mean? Perhaps you should check it out yourself, but the second episode’s biggest departure is that the series’ overall plot is front and center. That said, it still manages to play with visuals and maintain the intrigue of discovering new things about David’s past and present.

Should you watch it?

If you have no interest in comic book-adaptations or the basic premise of the show, you won’t regret giving the first episode a watch. Just to witness Legion’s visual spectacle and the way its story unfolds is a treat, since there’s nothing else on TV quite like it.

The jury’s still out on whether or not this show’s story will deliver but at the rate it’s going, Legion might be 2017′s most unique television series.